Harry Potter and the Power Unknown

~Chapter Seven: Friendship~

"It's true my Lord. Dumbledore told me the story when I saw him briefly this evening. The boy lost control and attacked the house elf," said a voice behind a black hood.

"Excellent," said Harry in a high, cold voice. He looked down and saw his own hands, long-fingered and white, resting on an armrest. "His powers are beginning to run out of control; soon he will not be able to control them, and he will have no one to turn to." A horrible smile stretched across his skull-like face.

"What is your plan, my Lord?" asked the hooded figure.

"You will find out in due time, Severus. There is work to be done first, and we must prepare for what is to come." Harry stood up and turned to a cracked mirror then said, apparently to himself, "You will soon be mine, Harry..."

"Harry!"

His eyes snapped open and his hand went immediately to his burning scar. It was the first time in a long time he had seen through Voldemort's eyes in his dreams. He closed his eyes again, willing for sleep to come back.

"Harry!" Ron repeated. "It's time to get up. Mum says you need to eat."

Harry opened his eyes again and squinted to see through the sunlight shining through the bedroom window. He put on his glasses and saw Ron standing in the doorway.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"About 12:30," Ron answered. "You've been asleep all morning, mate."

Harry groaned as he rolled out of bed feeling the ache in his head from both his scar and yet another night with a lack of restful sleep.

"I'll be right down," he said, and Ron turned and left the room. He wasn't really in the mood for people to question or reprimand him about what he did to Kreacher, but his stomach growled with hunger and he figured he would have to show his face at some point during the day anyway. He dressed, put on his pendant and made his way down the stairs, staring at the floor as he entered the kitchen to avoid eye contact with anyone. His heart sank when he saw how many people were actually in the kitchen: Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Ron.

"Good morning, Harry dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "Or should I say 'good afternoon'?" she added with a grin. He managed a faint smile and a "Thanks" as she placed a sandwich in front of him on the kitchen table. He expected everyone to talk immediately about the previous afternoon, but instead they continued a conversation that had apparently started before he entered the kitchen.

"So what does Arthur say about it, Molly?" asked Tonks.

"Well, he understands that Fudge made a huge mess of things in the entire wizarding world as well as the Ministry, but Arthur feels throwing him in Azkaban may not solve anything at all," she answered.

"I'm sorry," Bill began, "but I think Fudge should get more than just a slap on the wrist. Dad said wizards from all over the country are writing to him and to the Prophet calling for Fudge's arrest. Why not give them what they want? He is the reason You-Know-Who has so many supporters now."

"Yes, but he is also the reason Voldemort didn't kill anyone for a whole year," argued Kingsley. "Fudge's denial of Voldemort's return may have saved dozens of lives because it forced him to operate in secret."

"Well, my point is that this doesn't matter because this subject is moot. Fudge is out of office and You-Know-Who is back now, so..."

"Molly, when are you going to start saying 'Voldemort'?"

Harry's head snapped up from his plate and he saw Lupin entering the kitchen, looking as bad as Harry felt. His eyes were bloodshot and the circles underneath them were darker than usual. Harry knew the full moon was still about a week away, but Lupin already looked like a werewolf; his hair was matted and unkempt, and it looked as if he had not shaved in days.

"Well Harry, it looks like you're not the only one who decided to sleep in," said Mrs. Weasley slyly, ignoring Lupin's comment about Voldemort.

Lupin sat down at the table and turned to look at Harry, who quickly turned his gaze back to his plate. He only ate about half of his sandwich, but he stood up and turned to leave, hoping he would leave his guilt over making Lupin so miserable back with his lunch.

"You hardly touched your lunch, Harry. Did you get enough to eat?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes, thank you," lied Harry, and he left the kitchen with Ron.

"Up for some wizard's chess, mate?" Ron asked.

"Sure," said Harry, desperate to do anything that would take his mind off Kreacher and Lupin. "Let's go up to the attic and play there."

Ron nodded his agreement and proceeded to their room to get the board while Harry headed further up the stairs. When he reached the attic, he noticed Buckbeak resting soundlessly in the far corner. Harry approached him slowly and stopped to bow once his eyes snapped open. Buckbeak returned the bow and Harry went up to him, patted him on the head, and then sat down leaning against the hippogriff for support. Ron came in soon after followed by Ginny and (to Harry's dismay) Hermione, each of which took turns bowing to Buckbeak. Ginny sat down next to Harry; his stomach jumped as her light sent filled the air around him. She was so pretty; how could he have not noticed before now?

She turned to him with a smile and said, "Finally decided to join the living, Harry?" He responded with a smile; somehow, her presence always made his pain lessen. She looked with some concern at his forehead and reached up to touch it. "Your scar is really red," she said. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he replied, more forcefully than he meant to as he pulled away from her. He moved his hand automatically over his scar and said a little more politely, "I just had a dream about Voldemort last night, that's all."

Ron tried to suppress a shiver, Ginny slightly winced, but Hermione's head snapped up. She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry held his hand up to her and cut her off.

"Do me a favor, Hermione," he said bitterly, "and don't talk to me."

He knew this statement hurt her badly by seeing the look on her face, but he barely cared because of his anger over her defending Kreacher. She stood up and fled the room in tears.

"That was really uncalled for, Harry," said Ginny angrily.

"Oh, come off it, Ginny!" said Ron. Evidently, he was as angry with Hermione as Harry was. "If she wants to defend that stupid house-elf over Harry than she can make Kreacher her best friend instead," he continued defiantly. At that moment, Harry truly appreciated Ron's friendship more than ever before. Ron didn't know the whole story behind what Kreacher did, but he knew enough to know he should take Harry's side.

"Ron, you're such a prat sometimes," Ginny shot back, and she turned to face Harry. "Don't you understand that she was only trying to help? She couldn't stand to see you in so much pain, and she wanted to calm you down so she would talk to you."

Harry swore under his breath; he did not want to deal with this now. "I'm just really mad at her Ginny..." he began, but Ginny cut across him.

"We hate to see you in pain, Harry, and this is a horrible way of showing your appreciation. You are being so selfish that you don't even realize how much we all care for you!" And with that she rushed out the door after Hermione.

Harry looked up at Ron who shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it, mate," and then began to set up the chessboard.

Harry always enjoyed chess because of all the concentration it took; he always focused his mind on the game rather than everything else in his life. Because of this, Harry spent the next hour and a half almost guilt free. As soon as Ron said, "Checkmate," however, the weight on his mind and body returned stronger than ever. He needed to relieve some of the pressure inside him; he needed to tell someone about the burden he had been carrying for so long.

" need to tell you something," he said to Ron.

"Okay," Ron answered uncertainly.

Harry originally intended to tell Ron only about the prophecy, but before he could stop himself, he was pouring out everything Dumbledore had told him in his office at the end of last term. He told Ron the full story of Kreacher's betrayal, why Dumbledore said he needed to stay with the Dursley's every summer, the speaker and contents of the prophecy, and Dumbledore's confession about his mistakes concerning Harry. In fact, the only bit of information he left out was Dumbledore's explanation of why he did not pick Harry for a prefect over Ron. After he finished, Harry took a deep breath and felt somewhat relieved until he saw the look on his best friend's face.

"So, the last part of the prophecy," Ron began with a gulp, "does that mean either you have to kill You-Know-Who or he has to kill you?" Harry nodded.

"Blimey, Harry," continued Ron, exasperated. "How do you know killing him won't kill you anyway?"

"I don't," Harry answered.

"I want to help in anyway I can, Harry," said Ron, "but you have to tell me how. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Harry said truthfully. "I guess all I can do is prepare to fight; Even though I don't know how to kill him, I can bet Voldemort has something planned, and I have to be ready for that. Honestly though," he continued, "I've escaped him five times now; I have a feeling that my luck is running out."

Hermione avoided both Ron and Harry for the next week, and Harry began to feel extremely bad about what he had said. However, he did not have a chance to talk to her about it because a few days before the start of term she went to stay with her parents. He was able to apologize to Ginny, who gladly accepted and told him she was sorry for calling him selfish.

"It's alright," he said. "I have been wallowing in a lot of self-pity lately."

The day before September 1, Harry and Ron spent the day packing, but in the evening, something he had been dreading since his fight with Kreacher finally happened.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Lupin after dinner.

"Err... sure, I guess," Harry answered reluctantly. He was not ready to hear Lupin tell him about how selfish he had been or lay into him about Sirius. The two of them moved into the drawing room; Lupin held the door open for Harry then closed it once inside. Harry looked out one of the windows and waited for Lupin to speak, but when he did not Harry turned around and asked, "What is it, Remus?" more forcefully than he meant to.

Lupin looked up at Harry. "Harry, I don't blame you for Sirius' death," he said.

"I know," Harry lied.

"Because it wasn't your fault," Lupin continued.

"I know," Harry repeated.

"No, Harry, you don't. It wasn't your fault," Lupin reiterated moving closer to him.

"Stop it, Remus," said Harry, backing away.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry," said Lupin again, still moving closer to Harry and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop it!" Harry said in a shaky voice. "Stop screwing with me, Remus; I know what you're trying to do." Tears were filling his eyes again.

"Harry, look at me," Lupin said softly, and Harry looked up. "It wasn't your fault."

Harry collapsed on Lupin's shoulder as he burst into tears. Lupin hugged him close and let Harry release all his misery and sorrow. When Harry finally pulled away, Lupin had tears streaming down his face as well.

Harry wiped his own face and said, "But it is my fault! If I had practiced occulemency..." It was all coming out of him now. "Hermione said Voldemort was banking on my 'love of playing the hero' and she was right! Sirius would not have had to come after me if I had just stayed..."

"Harry, Sirius was a grown man, old enough to make his own decisions, especially when it came to you. Yes, he was also reckless sometimes, but you have to remember Voldemort lured you to the Department of Mysteries that night. Voldemort is the reason we had to come after you, and he is the reason Sirius is gone. We both need to let go of our guilt, Harry, and just accept that he is gone," Lupin said.

Harry nodded and Lupin went on. "Listen to me, Harry, because this is very important. You must try to rid yourself of your anger, which right now is the strongest emotion inside you. Voldemort knows you lose control when you are angry, so you must practice closing your mind, especially at night. Have you had any dreams about Voldemort?"

"The night I attacked Kreacher," Harry answered nodding his head. "He was talking about my temper to Snape, and later I remembered feeling my scar burn when I was hitting Kreacher. I didn't really care at the time, but I could tell Voldemort was happy about something. Actually, I figured it was just coincidence until I had that dream. But why would he care about my temper?"

"We don't know, Harry, but the angrier you are the more access he has to you, especially away from school. Your location might even open to him when you are away from school, so he will have access to you, not just your mind and emotions," Lupin explained. "He loves to see everyone around him in misery and dispair, and in your case I'm sure you know he wants to cause you as much pain as possible. Because of the connection between you, we think he might be able to drain your energy very much like a dementor can, which is why it is so important you keep your temper under control. Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to stay at Hogwarts for most of the school year to keep an eye on you and to give you new occlumency lessons."

Harry's mood brightened at this; he knew Dumbledore might want him to continue occulmency but he never expected to get lessons with Lupin.

"He also wants you to reform the DA with my help," Lupin went on. "Voldemort is out in the open now and it's just a matter of time before he makes a full-out assault on populous wizarding areas like Diagon Alley or Hogsmede. You and your friends must help others learn to defend themselves and their families as you have just in case the attack happens sooner than we anticipate. And let the ORDER worry about what Voldemort is up to, Harry," he added seeing a concerned look on Harry's face. "That's what we are here for. All you need to worry about is closing your mind. Will you promise me?"

"Yes, I promise," replied Harry.

"You better go finish packing, then. We have to leave early in the morning," Lupin instructed and Harry nodded then moved for the door. Suddenly he turned back around to face Lupin and said, "Thank you, Remus," then he left the room. Lupin made sure Harry was out of earshot, and then he collapsed in an armchair, his face in his hands and cried silently, happy to be free from his guilt and happy to finally be able to let Sirius go.

The next morning Harry, Lupin and the Weasleys headed to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts express. Lupin told them all on the way that he would be staying at Hogwarts and helping with the DA.

"Are you riding the train with us again, Professor?" Ginny asked, remembering him on the train in her second year.

"No," he answered. "I have some business for the Order in Hogsmede, so I'll catch a carriage from there."

"What kind of business?" asked Ron curiously, ignoring a glare from his mother. Lupin simply smiled in response.

Once they arrived at the train station, they passed through the barrier dividing platforms nine and ten onto Platform 9 ¾ in groups of two: Harry with Lupin, Mr. Weasley with Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley with Ron. Through the mass off witches and wizards helping their children on the train Harry spotted Hermione with her parents and began to walk towards her (followed closely by Mr. Weasley who never missed a chance to talk to Hermione's muggle parents). She looked heartbroken at the sight of him and immediately began explaining herself.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!" she said, tears in her eyes. "I wasn't picking Kreacher over you; you and Ron are my best friends and I just wanted to help but I didn't know how..."

"It's alright, Hermione," Harry interrupted, but she seemed not to register what he had said.

"I understand if you never want to talk to me again, I mean that was just awful of me once I thought about it, but... wait, what did you just say?"

"It's alright," Harry repeated with a smile. "I'm sorry too. I never should have snapped at you like that," he said, sweeping her into a hug. She sniffled and pulled away as soon as she saw Ron walking towards them. Harry noticed her flush immediately at the sight of their friend, and she took that moment to apologize to him as well. Ron looked at Harry as if asking for permission to forgive her, and when Harry nodded, he shrugged and said, "No harm done."

Hermione burst into tears and threw herself on Ron. Ron looked mortified and slightly panicked; he stood there for a few seconds, red creeping up his ears, not knowing exactly what to do. He looked at Harry for support, but when he received none he simply patted her on the back; finally she withdrew from him and wiped her tears away. Ron was a red as a tomato, and Harry rolled his eyes to himself, wondering how Ron could not realize how much he liked Hermione.

"Harry, I don't think you've met my parents," Hermione said with another sniffle.

"It's a pleasure, Harry," said Mrs. Granger holding out her hand. "We've heard so much about you."

Slightly embarrassed by this, Harry shook her hand just the same. He didn't get a chance to meet Mr. Granger since he was engaged in a conversation with Mr. Weasley about spark plugs.

"Hey, you three!" Ginny yelled from a window on the train. "Are you ditching school this year, or something? Come on, the train's leaving."

The three of them said their goodbyes all around and climbed aboard. Harry smiled to himself as he did so; he was finally going home.